The Black Widow Falls
by Ripplerose
Summary: "The Widow of Black sat on a wall, the Widow of Black had a great fall, All the great fighters and all the great men, couldn't put Tasha together again." Natasha sacrifices herself for the one person who would rather die himself than let her do her job.
1. Chapter 1

_The Widow of Black sat on the wall_

_The Widow of Black had a great fall_

_All the great fighters and all the great men_

_Couldn't put Tasha together again_

He sat there, in a daze. Why did she have to be so damn brave? He wondered as he sat in the rubble, the damage of New York outside his bubble of numbness and pain. Why? He held in a cry of pain and rage. The image of the last hour flashed through his head.

"_Nat, what are you doing?" His voice was calm, yet inside he felt absolute panic. What was she doing on top of that metal beast? What was she thinking? _

_ "Uh, a little help?" She'd replied, ignorant of the turmoil she was causing her partner. Gritting his teeth, he pulled an arrow, aiming for Loki and his beast. But then, she'd made a mis-step. She'd made one little mistake. The Black Widow had fallen. _

_ "NATASHA!" He was unaware of what happened next. The next thing he knew, she was falling through space. And for a second, just a second, everything seemed to be going in slow motion as she grabbed for a wire dangling from a building. But the chaos was causing her to slip. She was waiting. What was she waiting for? When he saw another metal beast soar underneath her, she took her chance, letting go of the wire, and landing with a clang, on top of the beast again. Not sure whether to feel relieved or more terrified, Clint yelled into his comms._

_ "Nat, try to get it over here! You can leap through the second story window." He tried to keep calm while his brain flitted through scenarios of how to get her safe. _

_ "Alright." He could hear the almost resignation in her voice. What was she thinking now?" Suddenly the beast was right in front of him. He backed away instinctively, and saw Natasha holding on for dear life on its back. She opened her mouth and yelled something to him. "I can't control it! DUCK CLINT!" He did exactly as she said. Then he heard an explosion. He looked up. It was raining metal, and Natasha Romanoff was not in sight. _

_ "Nat?" He called into his comms, struggling to keep his heart from pounding out its erratic beat of fear. She didn't answer._

_ "Barton, report. What's going on over there?" Steve Rodger's voice cut through his mind. He gazed over the side of the building and saw a familiar black clad figure on the ground, in the rubble of New York City. He gave a great cry. _

_ "NAT!" He leaped from roof to roof, until he was able to leap down to the ground from a safe height. He raced to her body, lying prone on the ground, unmoving. _

_ "What's going on?" Tony's voice crackled in the static of the comms unit. _

_ "Black Widow is down, I repeat, Black Widow is down!" Clint practically screamed into the unit. In the background of all the units, he could here laser blasts and curses. But one voice seemed in command. _

_ "Stark, get to Barton and Romanoff, I'll cover the perimeter best I can. Get moving." Sheer determination was in the Captain's voice. If Natasha was dead, he was going to make damn sure that she wouldn't die in vain. _

_ "On my way Hawk boy, keep her breathing." Tony said and Clint could hear him changing course and jetting towards them. _

_ "Come on Nat." Clint raised her head of the ground. She coughed, blood spilling from her mouth. _

_ "Ouch." She hissed, breathing in sharply. "That is the last time I use a detonator on those things." He stared at her in wonder. _

_ "Nat, you could have jumped, and ran. Why didn't you?" _

_ "Why do you think-idiot?" her voice was weakening, but he could still hear the teasing tone to it. _

_ "No idea Nat." He held her upright, trying to clear her airways. She had to be okay. She just had to._

_ "Because it was going to k-kill you Cli-Clint." She coughed again, more blood spilling out, her entire body seemed to be turning red, and her flaming hair was dulled with the dark liquid. _

_ "Oh Nat…" He murmured. Her eyes began to close. "No Nat come on, keep your eyes open!" He begged, clutching her closer with one arm, while trying to hold the wound on her side that seemed to be seeping the life out of her. _

_ "Tell Fury," She gave a massive cough, shaking her whole body, "That my ledger should be clean by now." _

_ "Tasha, it's going to be more that clean, it's going to be pure white." He encouraged. "Now keep your eyes open. You have to see Fury's face when we come back." She gave a weak chuckle. "You have to get your medal, see Stark and Banner redecorate Stark Tower and then explode it within a day, you still have to meet Pepper, Tony's girlfriend, you have to come to the gym and beat the crap out of me every day, you have to live!" _

_ "That sounds like fun…" She trailed off. Her eyes were closed again. Her chest had stopped its weak rising and falling. Holding back the frantic beating of his heart again, he called to her. _

_ "Come on Nat keep breathing!" Stark appeared, and stared in astonishment. The great Hawkeye was in total panic mode. _

_ "Move Barton." Tony gave him a slight shove to the side; Clint held Natasha's head in his lap, pleading with her to open her eyes. Tony was suddenly all business, grabbing a piece of fabric caught on a spoke sticking from the ground, he took it and wrapped it around the assassin's waist. "Keep her breathing Barton, CPR. Do it now." _

_ He'd done as Stark had asked, pressing his mouth to hers, breathing air into her lungs. Compressions: 1, 2, 3 breathe. He kept it up until Tony gave a shudder. _

_ "Barton, she's not going to wake up." This stopped Clint in his tracks. _

_ "What?" He asked uncomprehendingly. _

_ "She's dead Barton; she's not going to wake up." Tony's voice was unusually gentle. _

_The other Avengers heard the conversation over the comms and the response was immediate. Hulk gave a howl of rage and pain, smashing a massive robot snake to pieces. Steve steeled his gaze, and continued fighting, but with renewed vengeance. The Chituari aliens around him were demolished within seconds. _

"_She is NOT dead." Clint's voice broke slightly. Tony winced, turning his back to defend the two assassins and leaving Clint to his private grief, if only for a few minutes. Soldier instincts kicked in for Clint. _

_Check pulse, check the breath. Keep checking them. But his soldier instincts didn't lie. They never did. But they had to be. Because the Black Widow, was down. She'd fallen, and she was not going to get up. She had to get up. Clint felt his breathing hitch. _

"_Come on Nat, open your eyes, and breathe!" He all but yelled at the motionless girl lying in his lap. Why wasn't she moving? His chest constricted. He held her bodies tightly, quietly begging for her to come back, come back to the invasion, come back to her life, come back to him. _

_She didn't reply. And then, Clint Barton's heart simply broke in two. Tears rushed down his cheeks as he held her tight. "Tasha…" He whimpered. _

"_Stark, what's the verdict?" Rodger's voice was low, unheard by Clint, still rocking back and forth with his partner in his arms, blood covering both of them. _

"_Natasha!" Clint groaned, crushing the broken girl to his chest, unimaginable pain ripping through him. _

"_She didn't make it Captain." Tony replied quietly. "She didn't make it." _

Clint Barton sat next to his fallen companion for a few more moments, listening to the sound of crashes and screams throughout the city. The numbness was retreating if only for a moment.

"Barton, there will be time to grieve. But right now we have a job to do." Steve's voice was sympathetic but firm.

Clint sat for another moment. His memory was cast back, if only for a moment of a man he'd met. The man had been dressed simply in a pinstriped suit and sneakers. But his eyes were ancient, as if they'd seen pain in loss in vast amounts; as if he'd seen the universe burn before his eyes. At that moment, even now, Clint knew that his pain (though vast and extreme) could not measure up to the pain so many others would feel after this war was over. And then Clint stood up. He eyes were hollow. Today was the day that Clint Barton's heart had been wrenched out of his chest and ripped to pieces. Shouldering his arrows, he gazed up at the sky, still swarming with monsters.

If he couldn't save her, then he was going to do the thing that she'd do for him. With one last look at his fallen companion, Clint pressed his lips to her cold head.

"I love you." He whispered. And then he pulled an arrow back in his bow. If he couldn't save her, he was definitely, going to avenger her.

He let the arrow fly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Natalia Romanova. Natasha Romanoff. Black Widow. They were all names of hers. But the friendlier ones, the ones that he called her, were not written on the red felt inside her casket. The names "Nat", "Tasha", and "Widow" were not inscribed. Because that would have made it to permanent, that would be the last string to be cut, breaking Clint Barton's heart. And he couldn't stand that. So he watched as the S.H.E.I.L.D operatives cleaned up his fallen partner and spoke softly to one another. Every now and then, one would stop and say a quiet word in Natasha's ear. 'As if she could hear it', he thought bitterly. Leaning against the wall across from the mortuary, he heaved a deep sigh, pushing back the tears that yet again threatened to spill down his hollow cheeks. He'd replayed the scene in his mind over and over. Why did she have to go and sacrifice herself? He'd cursed Loki with a passion after his partner had fallen. Every arrow he shot exploded with the rage of a hero in agony.

When the battle had finally been won, they'd all gone back to where Clint had hidden Natasha's body. They had all stared at it a good long while, before Clint had picked it up, cradling her limp body to his chest, his eyes empty. Banner had changed back and was staring on with sorrow in his dark eyes. He'd seen so much pain and death (Some caused by him) but he could never make himself immune to it. Tony Stark was quiet. His eyes were grey and he looked more exhausted than anyone Banner had ever seen. Steve was also looking at Natasha's motionless form, sadness in his eyes. And all of a sudden, Steve actually looked like he'd been frozen for 70 years. He looked like a Captain who'd lost his soldier. Banner hated the pain in everyone's eyes. All of a sudden, he had an idea. Maybe. Just maybe, it could work.

The ceremony for the Black Widow's death was probably different from most heroes. The typical hero starts out with powers beyond their imagination, and then tries to do good things with them. S.H.I.E.L.D eventually catches up with them. Some of them have a choice. They can join S.H.I.E.L.D, or go off on their own again. Others aren't so lucky. Others have no choice but to join the secret organization because it's the only way they can survive without people following them, hunting them for their gifts. But no hero, at least to Clint's knowledge, had ever been given the ceremony of the Black Widow.

She had been different than any other hero. She'd joined basically by force. She'd been working for the Russians as a spy and an assassin. She had a lot of red on her ledger. When Clint offered her the chance to clear the ledger and gain friends, or him shooting her through the head with an exploding arrow, she'd leaped at the chance to join S.H.I.E.L.D. Who wouldn't? So when she turned hero, it was different than any hero before her. Sure, Clint was also an ex-assassin who'd been trained to get any job done, no matter the cost. But he'd jumped for the chance to leave that life as well. He wanted life free from orders and blood on his own hands. He wanted a choice, and the power to save people. But they had still been different. Natasha had adapted slowly to the new world she'd been dragged into. No one dared to go into her room except Clint because they feared what kind of traps awaited them. He was the only one who knew where the trip wire on her floor was. A villain had turned good. That was a new one to S.H.I.E.L.D. But after much convincing they sent her out on missions. And now, after everything that had happened since their first encounter on the rooftop, to the activation of the "Avengers Initiative", she was considered a true hero. This made Clint proud somewhere in his heart. He could practically hear her smile her true Natasha smile.

_I finally have a clean ledger. _

But as the dark casket made its way through the crowd to the top of the stage for Nick Fury to give his quiet personal thanks to her, everyone seemed to be holding in breath, as if waiting for Natasha to sit up and start flinging knives and curses. The Avengers stood beside Fury, to give their thanks to their fallen teammate. As the crowd dispersed, only Fury and the team who had saved the world stood in the large room. Steve was the first to gather the guts to say his goodbye.

"You were one of the best soldiers I've ever had the privilege to fight alongside. I wish you peace and happiness."

Tony bit his cheek before stepping forward to give a watery smile to the girl lying in the casket as if she was only sleeping.

"Too bad we didn't meet earlier Romanoff. You would have made a great practice partner. Pepper would have loved you. Remember that you are always part of the team ok? No matter what."

Banner took a deep breath through his nose, and then grasped Natasha's hand gently.

"You were the first to believe I could be something better. And the first time you met the 'other guy' I let you down. But I swore to myself I wouldn't let you down again. I'd seen it in your eyes. You'd been just as lost as I was. So I knew I could always count on you. And I hoped you'd think of me the same way. But I still let you down. Yet, I know you'd forgive me." He gave a small smile. "Because that's just the kind of person you are. It was a pleasure to be your friend Natasha Romanoff. And thank you, for everything you've done."

It was Clint's turn now. And all of a sudden, he didn't think he could do it. If he said goodbye, it would be too final. The world would really stop spinning then. And the tiny strings that held his heart together would snap. He would spiral into nothingness and dream of nothing but her death, and his horrors. With a nudge from Banner, who gave him a sympathetic squeeze on the shoulder, Clint walked forward, slowly to the open casket of his best friend.

"Oh, God Nat there are so many things I wish I could say. So many things I never got the chance to say. You were the best partner anyone could ask for, even though you would fight anyone, even me, with a sharp knife and barbed tongue. You helped me become better, you looked up to me. I never knew what that felt like until now. You saved me from Loki, and I while I can never forgive myself for hurting and killing so many people, I don't think I will _ever_ forget nor forgive myself for hurting you. You saved me, in so many ways. And in the end, I couldn't save you. I am _so _sorry for that. Thank you Nat. Thank you so much. Thank you for being my everything." As the lid closed, Banner had his eyes closed, mumbling a small prayer under his breath. Clint didn't bother hiding the tears that fell down his rugged cheeks now. He had many scars, but this scar on his heart would never heal.

The lid was closed now, and Clint felt the last few shreds of his heart disintegrate. It hurt _so _badly! He had to struggle to remain upright. He realized that Tony and Steve had their hands on his shoulders, not attempting to move him.

Then, there was a banging. Where was it coming from? The group looked around prepared for attacks. Thor and Loki had gone back to Asagard so that problem shouldn't be an issue.

Then Banner's face broke into a smile, and shoved the others away from the casket. He opened it with a little difficulty. The others stood speechless. And then Banner turned around with a grin that could light up all of Manhattan. A figure stood up and stretched behind him.

"Can someone please tell me why I'm wearing a red dress right now?"

The entire team (Minus Banner) gaped in astonishment.

"Nat?" Clint croaked in astonishment.

The flaming dangerous red head clambered gracefully out of the dark obsidian casket, as if she climbed out of coffins on a daily basis. Swinging her arms a few times, to loosen her muscles she flashed her daring smile. Then, staring at her friend's opened mouths; she looked around, and turned to Banner who seemed the only one who knew what was going on.

"Have I missed something?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_If life was easy_

_Where would all the adventures be? _

"Natasha?" Clint whispered tentatively. She couldn't be alive! He'd taken her pulse, she'd stopped breathing!

"What do you know?" Natasha stared at a scar on her arm from where a piece of metal had seared her pale skin. "Where did that come from?" She shook her short mane of fiery hair dismissively. She was used to bruises and cuts.

"How…?" Clint and Steve were standing stock still in shock as they tried to comprehend what was happening.

"Dr. Banner...you truly amaze me." Tony tilted an imaginary hat at his fellow scientist.

"Barton, pop your eyes back in your head." Natasha gave a signature teasing smile that made Clint give a faint one in response. Turning back to Banner, the Black Widow grinned. "So Doc, want to explain? I knew that solution was for something, but I wasn't sure what."

"Yeah, an explanation would be nice." Tony was scanning Natasha up and down. "How did you account for all the variables?"

Banner turned to Tony. "It's a long story I'll be happy to tell you later. However, I think there's a more pressing need for a general explanation."

"Sounds good to me." They all turned to see Nick Fury and Maria Hill standing in the doorway. The glass roof that had been over Natasha's coffin was still sparkling, but it didn't soften the features of Fury's face. He was, as always, totally stoic. Hill wasn't quite as composed.

"Natasha?" Her voice was faint. Natasha was close to few of the fellow S.H.E.I.L.D directors and subordinates. But she'd been friends with Hill.

"Dr. Banner, I think we are all waiting for an explanation." Nick spoke coolly.

"Ah." Bruce coughed, almost like a politician nervous at a speech. "Well, a couple weeks back, I was working on a project with Tony."

"But how did it _work?!_" The aforementioned genius practically yelled. "It wasn't even close to working last time we'd run diagnostics on it!" Banner stared at the ground for a moment, looking slightly abashed.

"I _might _have stayed up later than you." In answer to Tony's accusing look, Banner shuffled his feet slightly. "What? When your dreams tend to be nightmares at least 50% of the time, you tend to stay up late! I needed to work on _something._"

"Are you quite finished?" Steve yelled, his usual uniform covered by a black tie and suit that just barely hid the super strong muscles beneath. Jumping, Banner and Tony both quieted like children being scolded by a teacher.

"Now;" Clint had finally gotten to the point where he could speak. He still couldn't take his eyes off his partner come back from the dead. "Explain."

_Author's Note: _**I know I haven't updated in AGES and I'm sorry. I had complete writers block, insane school work, and my birthday was yesterday. Well, the 28****th**** of September at least. I'm SO SORRY for not updating recently, I know this chapter is short, but I have a pretty good idea of what's going in the next one now, so it shouldn't take so long this time around. Thanks for being so patient! **

**~Ri**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"You see, Tony and I had been testing a solution to help heal wounds that are internal, over a short period of time. We knew that it could only work for certain kinds of wounds, and that we didn't want it to bring people back to life. That would be too much power for anyone."

"Not leaving out the fact that we didn't think our original theory would work." Tony glared at Banner. "Did Pepper know?"

"No. But, JARVIS did. All you had to do was ask." Banner adjusted his glasses. The team was seated (all but Clint, who was standing behind Natasha's chair) at the conference table. The news of Natasha's apparent resurrection had yet to spread across the S.H.I.E.L.D floating fortress. Banner stood in the middle of one side, next to Tony, who was listening with rapt attention.

"Basically, I'd asked Natasha if she would let me use her as a human guinea pig. I knew she got more scars and injuries than many other agents here. I'd tested the variables knowing that there was no way it could hurt her. I started with asking her to test the original solution I made with Tony."

Stark smiled. "The one with external injuries?" Bruce Banner nodded.

Natasha held up a pale hand. "Hold up for a second. So you're saying that one of those crazy chemicals you jabbed into my body was the thing that brought me back to life?"

"Yeah, basically." Banner murmured. "When the test for the external injuries went well, I asked you to test the second remember?"

"How can I not?" She murmured, pursing her pale pink lips. Clint still stood behind her; he ran a hand once through his short cropped hair. "That day I was too sick to spar?" She turned to Clint, who was indeed her favorite sparring partner, "that was because of _his _crazy experiment."

"Tony healed faster and with less side-effect. We still have yet to test it on people with the same conditions, but opposite sex."

"How did it keep her alive?" Clint's voice cut through the almost casual atmosphere like one of his razor sharp knives that he kept strapped inside of his boots.

"When you checked her vital signs, her body was in a state of hibernation. Basically, it gave off all the symptoms of death; no pulse, breath, etc. But it was actually working on healing the worst of her internal wounds. Your instincts and Tony's weren't wrong. She simply wasn't a 'alive.' Think of it as a sort of coma."

Fury stared at Banner with irritation. "You tested all this without consulting me."

"Heh." Banner flushed slightly. "Well…yeah."

"For the record," Steve spoke up for the first time since the meeting had started. He'd been dazed by Banners' talk of chemicals and solutions. All he knew was that a seemingly dead agent had come back to life. "Agent Romanoff is alive. That's gotta count for a lot."

"Seconded." Natasha held up her dainty hand again. "Now could I get some water, and maybe a chest wrap? My ribs are killing me!"

Clint smiled slightly. The faint whine in her voice was what she used when she thought that a meeting kept on too long.

"Agent Hill?" Fury slanted a look her way. His second in command nodded sharply. As she got up, she cast her friend and former dead employee another astounded look. It's not every day a close friend comes back from the grave.

"I have one more question." Tony called. But the look in his eyes spoke of more than one question. Sighing, Natasha stood, swaying slightly and leaned unconsciously on Clint.

"While you discuss the logistics of 'I.H.C' I'm going to be in my room." She was about to step out the front door with Clint on her heels when Fury shouted after them.

"Agent Romanoff!" She whirled. "Use the other door." He smiled a rarity in his line of work. "We don't want to give anyone a heart attack."

"Too late." Clint muttered under his breath, but steered his fellow assassin toward her room using the door in the back of the conference room.

"Hey Clint." She spoke as Clint hit the code to enter her room.

"Yeah?" He asked, still marveling at the fact she was breathing and shifting.

"How did I die?" He turned to stare at her.

"You remember." He said off handedly. "It's in your eyes, I can tell."

"Alright, so maybe I do know. But still…"

"Nat, I can read you like a book. But: if you ever do something as stupid and reckless as you did the other day, I swear on my life, I will _never _spar with you again."

"Same to you." She sassed. "If you ever get enslaved by a crazy physcotic alien I will cheerfully beat you death."

"Understood, welcome back to the world of the living Tasha."

"Clint, do you know that you're the one who woke me from that coma thing?"

"No…"

"Well, I kind of heard you say you loved me." Inwardly cursing himself, Clint decided to take the plunge.

"And?" He smirked to hide his doubt. Natasha could see right through him.

"That's what woke me up." She said simply. She then leaned forward, and placed her lips on his. Surprised, Agent Barton began to return the kiss slowly, tentatively.

As they sat in the faint light from the window and lamp beside her bed, they both seemed to glow.

"Oh, and by the way," She pulled away for a second. "I love you too."

When Agent Maria Hill entered Natasha's room, she saw the 2 agents curled against each other, reassuring themselves that they were both still alive. She turned, leaving the rib wrap and water bottle on a side table. As Hill left, she glanced at the pair with a faint chuckle.

"It's about damn time."

**And thus, the story ends. Sorry it wasn't the best ending, I'll probably re-edit when I'm feeling better. But, I figured you guys deserved to read some more of this considering how patient you've been and how I haven't REALLY updated in a while. BUT still. I hope you liked this story, and thanks for reading!**

**Live long and prosper ;)**

**~Ri**


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